in

How to Take Your Travel Photographs to the Next Level

Photo by Jakob Owens on Unsplash

Taking the journey to your travel destination is often a costly process, both in time and money. That’s why capturing it in all its glory is so important. Whether you just have your smartphone or full-fledged camera setup, taking the best possible photos is key to ensuring good memories and good material to share with friends and loved ones.

The good news is that travel photography is much easier than you may think. Capturing the smells, sights, and sounds of your destination involve little more than an understanding of some basic photography methods. To help you take the perfect pictures, we’ve put together a post detailing just how to create next-level travel photos during your next journey.

Preparation

The first step to taking perfect pictures is to ensure that your equipment is ready for the job. Check up on your storage space and use cloud services such as Google Photos or Apple’s iCloud to backup old images and make room for new ones before you head out.

If you plan on using your smartphone, it’s worth considering a backup power bank or battery case to ensure that you have enough juice for the journey. You can further optimize your battery usage by using Power Saver mode and turning off connectivity options.

Angles

The angle that you take your picture at can completely transform the context and feel of your photograph. Even if it makes you look a bit silly, the people you’ll never see again will probably envy the professional flair of your travel photos. Coastal destinations are perfect for taking magazine-worthy pictures that are half under and a half above water.

Upgrade Your Smartphone Tech

Many travelers bring nothing more than their smartphones with them for their journey. When confronted with a picture-perfect opportunity, it’s often difficult to accept your phone as a good enough way to capture the moment. Fortunately, with a few useful upgrades, even an entry-level smartphone can rival some camera rigs in terms of quality.

Digiscoping Adapters are a great example, allowing you to combine the photographic capabilities of your smartphone with the zoom power of a scope. This lets you capture anything from distant mountains to detailed images of nearby buildings. The right adapter will also allow you to take more stable photos.

Keep it Candid

While there are benefits to preparing each photo, candid shots often capture the best moments in all their glory. With the power of modern smartphone cameras, it doesn’t take more than a few seconds to capture a perfect shot. Even the slightest change in angle, posture or focus can make an otherwise blurry image magazine-worthy.

Perspective

By focusing on a smaller object in front of a larger one, you can create a better representation of your subject’s true size. For example, focusing on a small house in front of a mountain range will better showcase just how massive and imposing the natural terrain is.

Conclusion

Taking perfect travel photographs is as simple as understanding the basics of good photography. That said, don’t hesitate to take plenty of less flattering photos for your own use. After all, the memories that capture the moment are the most genuine.